Son Heung-min reveals his first reaction after being benched and ‘important’ goal during Tottenham vs West Ham

Tottenham forward Son Heung-min who scored from the bench in the 2-0 win over West Ham revealed he focused his energy on finding ways to score minutes after coming on.

The South Korean forward sealed the win with a confident finish, after being fed through by a brilliant Harry Kane pass.

Emerson Royal, preferred to winter signing Pedro Porro had given the Lilywhites a 1-0 lead- and with the clock running down, Son who was benched for Richarlison confirmed the three points with his goal.

Last season the South Korean forward bagged the Golden Boot, sharing it with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, his goal against West Ham was only his fifth of what has been an underwhelming season.

Asked how he felt after being dropped to the bench- he said he focused his strength on just paying attention to the game and preparing his mind to score.

He told reporters: “When I was on the bench I was just paying attention to the game and looking at the way the game was going.

“It was important I looked and paid attention as I had a feeling I would be coming on and when I did because I was paying attention it just happened for me.

“The pass from Kane was perfect and made it easy for me to just finish also.”

This was only the second time Son has been benched this season in an attempt to get the best out of him- and he grabbed a hat-trick when it first happened, tonight he scored again in direct response to being left out from the starting 11.

The win maintains Cristian Stellini’s 100% winning record whenever he’s been asked to step in for Antonio Conte who is still recovering from a gallbladder operation.

The Lilywhites are now fourth on the league table, one point ahead of Newcastle United who lost 2-0 to Liverpool but still have a game in hand on Spurs.